“I heard him screaming, ‘Mommy’ so when I go run in the room he’s, like, hunched over glass. When I lift him up I saw a little bit of blood so I put my hand over it to, like, keep the pressure. When I went to lay him down, his eyes started rolling behind his head.”

Velez rushed her son to a nearby hospital. She told NBC 10:

“They tried to do everything. They said they were trying to stabilize him, so he could go to the surgery room. But he wasn’t strong enough.”

After being questioned by the police, Velez called her son’s death a “freak accident.”

She told WPVI that she’s also having a difficult time explaining the concept of death to her daughters. Velez said that one of her girls keeps asking why she doesn’t have a brother anymore.

Neighbors who know the family are also struggling with the news. One neighbor, Edward Rodriguez, said:

“As soon as people heard, people were crying. It was just instant. […] It’s just a shame because they are so well loved, so well loved that it’s a complete shock. When it happened, it just went up and down the neighborhood like lightning.”

Velez remembered her son as a joyful little boy:

“My baby he was so full of joy. His sisters miss him. […] I carried my son. I birthed him. I was with him.”

And according to the GoFundMe set up by Velez’s friend, Ortega dreamed of becoming a firefighter one day:

His favorite color was green just like one of his super hero’s The Hulk. Second to that was Captain America. He also enjoyed watching PJ Mask at any given chance.

Lord help this mother & his two sisters to have the peace & calm that surpasses all human understanding because it comes from You! Help the little ones Lord by clearing their mind from the death of their brother! Only You can help them through this Lord! In Jesus’name Amen!